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State education minister Partha Chatterjee on Monday said that government schools would remain closed from June 20 to 30. (File)

Kolkata is reeling under a severe heatwave that saw temperatures hover around the 40 degree celsius mark today. With the mercury touching the 41 degrees Celsius mark on Monday, breaking a 10-year record for the month of June, the MeT office has predicted that temperatures may rise further. It has also said that the heatwave condition would prevail along Gangetic West Bengal for the next 48 hours.

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The sudden change in weather pattern has prompted the state government to announce a 10-day holiday in all state-run schools. The government has also made an appeal to private schools to announce the same. State education minister Partha Chatterjee on Monday said that government schools would remain closed from June 20 to 30.

According to a Met Official, the scorching winds and heat wave in nearby states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha were responsible for the situation in West Bengal. However, he said the situation would improve from June 21 onwards, even though rainfall is predicted for the northern parts of Bengal.

It is unusual for the temperature to shoot past the 40 degree mark after the onset of monsoon in Kolkata since the rains cut off the flow of westerly winds. Though monsoon has arrived in West Bengal, the current has been very weak and therefore has not been able to block the wind.